Dollhouse 2.04: Belonging - Sierra is forced to face her past. Post comments here.

POSTED BY: Haken
UPDATED: Friday, May 13, 2011 14:49
VIEWED: 15320
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HAKEN

Saturday, October 24, 2009 2:50 AM

After a very brief break, Dollhouse returns with "Belonging," where we explore Sierra's past with the Rossum Corporation.

It's interesting to note that this episode was directed by Johnathan Frakes. If you aren't geeked out enough, he was Number One (William T. Riker) on ST:TNG. The episode also guest stars Clyde Kusatsu, who was also on ST:TNG as Vice Admiral Nakamura. So, that's the Dollhouse Trek triva for the week.

The episode was written by Maurissa Tancharoen and Jed Whedon.

Post your comments about the episode here.

FIVVER

Saturday, October 24, 2009 2:59 AM

Did you see the preview for when Dollhouse comes back in December? It will be a 2 hour special featuring

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Summer Glau!

CELLARDOOR

Saturday, October 24, 2009 3:07 AM

Ok, if Dollhouse skeptics are willing to give the show one more chance.... well, ok, two more chances... let it be this episode and the upcoming Summer Glau event.

I'm floored by the greatness and power of this episode. By the way, no Ballard and minimal Echo... hm. The acting, writing, directing (Jonathan Frakes!!!) were at the top of their game, and I can't wait until this comes out on Hulu so I cna watch it again to catch more of what I missed on the first showing.

The only meh part about it was the slight speed with which Adelle and Topher developed a sense of conscience to the degree we see, but I realize Joss is doing what he can to advance the story with the limited episodes he may have remaining.

If you like, do check this episode out. I don't think many of you would regret it.

BYTEMITE

Saturday, October 24, 2009 3:52 AM

I have to disagree with you on Adelle and Topher, it's been pretty obvious to me from the beginning that their amorality was actually being exaggerated, and that they're actually better people than they were being depicted. It was the most likely character arc and development for both.

CELLARDOOR

Saturday, October 24, 2009 4:38 AM

Oh, I agree that it's been developing, it was just a sudden leap forward tonight. Though, given the circumstances in the narrative, I would hope that's to be expected. :) Building from the episode where Saunders left, Topher's been much more pensive about what's actually going on. Good stuff! :)

It's kind of weird though when the characters themselves exaggerate their amorality, like in Adelle's little dramatic speech at Topher. And contrary to what Boyd (?) said, I don't think this is actually the first moral dilemma Topher has faced... it's just that Topher was more central to deciding what to do about said dilemma this time. Or something. Yeah, I need to go watch it again. :)

ROCKETJOCK

Saturday, October 24, 2009 5:33 AM

The thing is, there's morals, and then there's ethics. Morality is concerned with what is right or wrong for society/mankind as a whole. Ethics are more concerned with personal standards -- "This is where I stand, this far and no further."

A person can be extremely amoral, and still have a sense of ethics. Consider the contract killer that

Select to view spoiler:

Echo was imprinted with

in the unaired pilot. She had no qualms about

Select to view spoiler:

killing Ballard,

but had the professional ethics to insist on finishing the job.

Adele DeWitt considers herself morally compromised, but until this episode felt she was still behaving in accord with her professional ethics. Topher Brink has fancied himself amoral, but now has to face the fact that he actually has a moral core that is disgusted with what he has become. And Boyd Langton is a man who is both moral and ethical, trying to come to grips with the coming storm, and his role in it.

Deep stuff for American prime time TV. And the flash-forwarding of Epitaph One makes the pressure system building even more fraught.

I said last season that Joss & company seemed to be "writing for the box set", and Epitaph One, I think, proved me right. It was beautifully designed to be a capstone if the series was canceled, or foreshadowing if it was renewed.

Now my question is, how is he going to seal this season up? "Epitaph Two", perhaps?

"Fox forgot to cancel my show... Very awkward. They looked and said, 'Oh, this is our bad. We forgot to cancel your show. You're going to have to make more." -- Joss Whedon

STOWEAWAY

Saturday, October 24, 2009 6:38 AM

Quote:
Originally posted by CellarDoor:
By the way, no Ballard and minimal Echo... hm.

Yeah, Dichen Lachman and Fran Kranz were both amazing.

I was a little shocked with how...methodical(?)... Boyd was. Chilling - and gross.

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PIRATENEWS

Saturday, October 24, 2009 8:56 AM

Good show.

Bad guy from Romy & Michelle's Desperate Reunion?

Hell to pay?

GWEK

Saturday, October 24, 2009 1:41 PM

I agree with most of Cellardoor's assessment.

A very good episode overall, probably the best one of the sesason and in the top three or four for the show (although still not up to par with most episodes of FIREFLY).

Unfortunately, I don't think it's a coincidence that most of the episodes feature very little Echo. She's actually the least interesting of the dolls, and Eliza--don't get me wrong, I love her for what she does well, but what she does well does not include being the heart and soul of a show. Increasingly, I wonder if Joss has developed this on his own rather than FOR Eliza, what might have been...

The A-story with Sierra/Priya is definitely interesting, and it seems quite clear that the writers are assuming that after 13 episodes, they're done, hence the accelerated pace of both the growing morality of Adele and Topher AND Boyd's complete betrayal of Adele and the Dollhouse.

I thought it was interesting that BOTH story arcs involved Boyd keeping secrets from his employers. (I'm also intrigued by Adele's unsurprising comment that all Dollhouse employees are morally compromised. What was it that compromised Boyd?)

Although I accept Topher and Adele's quick moral turnaround as a consequence of the writers being under the gun to develop things to a certain point before lack of renewal, I felt that both could have been handled a little better.

For example, with Adele, we've seen her be defensive of the dolls and her house before, and I would have bought her reactions a little more easily if they'd focussed on that aspect (someone coming in and trying to take something from HER kingdom, someone under HER protection) rather than her appearing to be suddenly shocked and offended by a morally questionable decision of the company's.

Similarly, if Topher had sort of cast his moral decision in the "Can I really make this work and get away with it? Am I really THAT smart?" vein, I think it would have been more in character. Still, they're really messing with Topher's morality and character this season (the relationship with November, wanting to do the right thing with the serial killer dude), that where he'll land in any given episode is a crapshoot.

All in all, a good episode. If they keep up like this, I'll just be starting to really fall in love with the show when they take if off the air. :(

www.stillflying.net: "Here's how it might have been..."

KHAMBILO

Saturday, October 24, 2009 2:27 PM

I throughly enjoyed this episode. It's definitely the best of the season and one of the best of the series thus far. The interplay between Victor and Sierra was beautifully done. I like how their love story is being depicted with a sort of child-like innocence. It's very genuine which greatly contrasts the romantic engagements that the Dollhouse usually deals in.

When I initially saw the promo for this ep., I though it was solely going to be a sierra/victor centric episode. I was pleasantly surprised to find that it was also a Topher centric episode.

The episode is pushing the series in a good direction, and i can't wait for more!

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